Production

Lyons Trail Communications – New York  2003 to present

Plan, coordinate, and execute TV, radio, and multimedia projects for clients including Kraft, Sears, Oreck, Cavit, and Burlington Stores. Shoot and edit video documentary, training, and sales films.

The Tucker Partnership – New York  1996 to 2004

Managed all aspects of agency production. Negotiated celebrity talent, supervised all shoots, directed all post production for Quaker State and General Electric. Worked extensively with Denis Leary and Leah Remini, plus Cal Ripken, Billy F. Gibbons, Tom Berenger, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson.

Derek Vanlint and Associates – Toronto

Executive Producer responsible for budgeting, managing commercial production, and handling sales and promotion for seven commercial directors.

Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising – New York

Produced bilingual commercials for eleven Procter & Gamble brands, organizing and coordinating all aspects of production between New York, Toronto, and Montreal.

Creative

Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising – New York, NY

Wrote award-winning advertising copy for P&G Ivory Soap, Johnson & Johnson Tylenol.  Extensive recruitment of non-professional talent.

Education

State University of New York at Albany

Graduated cum laude with BS in Business Administration, with a core in Marketing. 
Languages: Spanish, German, and French.                      

Biography

It happened when I was a child.

A fascination with commercials and an acute recall of jingles, coupled with the hobby of
collecting classic films, set the stage for my adult career. With a college degree in Marketing and
a book of spec ads in hand; I descended on Madison Avenue. After eight weeks of cold calls,
Compton Advertising afforded me the first break. Being on the team that developed the agency's
response to the Tylenol tampering incident taught me a valuable lesson in candor and
truthfulness; extensive work on testimonial spots with non-professional talent showcased the
virtues of honesty and sincerity.

Despite having picked up a One Show award as copywriter for suggesting and writing lyrics
for a spot commemorating Ivory Soap's centennial, it was solving the production problem of
rigging the key visual that inspired the move to production. I soon became Assistant Producer,
and later Producer, on all eleven of the agency's Procter & Gamble brands for English and French
speaking Canada. This led to weekly cross border travel and coordination, ego and culture
management, and the P&G production discipline that still remains useful to this day.

It was a perseverance to get director Derek Vanlint, DP on "Alien", to shoot on the thenmandated
16MM film format that got me the job of Executive Producer at his new Toronto
company, D.V.L.A. There, I was able to finesse interpersonal and sales skills, develop a keen
sense of costing out jobs, and gain a perspective on production from the supplier side. I created
the production solutions for "Porsche" and "Swimmers", which went on to win Gold for Best
Spot and Silver for Best Campaign at the Bessie Awards, Canada's equivalent of the Clios.

The lure of home led me back to New York, and a stint at TV and feature film development.
Working with a writing partner, I created "Sweat Sox", a children's series centered around the
positive aspects of sports, plus screenplays ranging from "Downsizing", a comedic look at the
results of then-current employment trends, to "Tactic VI", an eerie foreshadowing of terrorism on
American soil.

I soon teamed up with The Tucker Partnership in New York, and went on to handle all of
their commercial production work for the next seven years. General Electric needed to showcase
their employees' community service; and the "Local Heroes" campaign was born. The shoots in
Albany, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Louisville, and Milwaukee won special praise from Jack Welch
for their overall quality and cost efficiency. For Quaker State motor oil, I was instrumental in
negotiation for Denis Leary, Tom Berenger, Leah Remini (the first woman to pitch motor oil),
Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, and Cal Ripken.

At long last, and with the birth of a child, I picked up a DV camcorder. Using this to capture a
winning NASCAR team as they engineered their magic brought the idea of "Power By Design"
to life. In addition to commercial work, I've directed and edited video shorts introducing C.E.O.s
and PR campaigns, plus documenting the New York in-store appearances and fragrance launches
of Jean Paul Gaultier and Narciso Rodriguez for my company, Lyons Trail Communications.

Recently I've produced commercial campaigns, videos, and web content in direct response,
theatrical, food and beverage, and retail advertising.

I currently serve as President of the Church Council at St. Luke's Lutheran church in New
Rochelle, NY; and volunteer for the Physical and Occupational Therapy departments at The
Wartburg, a rehabilitation facility and nursing home in Mount Vernon, NY.

I continue to provide high quality/intelligent cost solutions to both agencies and clients. I
maintain my passion for advertising and media production, and for problem solving; sharing a
wide range of skills and experience; to make the production process as successful, efficient and
pleasant as it can possibly be.